Pinch bar or car mover



Margh 17, 1925.

J. C. SULLIVAN PINCH BAR OR CAR MOVER Filed Jan. '29, 1924 JZz/z 'as filial/am grip of the rail plied to the pinch barfor moving the car such manner that will be materially strengthened and wear on the fulcrum means or pivot device therefor Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

I JULIUS c. SULL VAN, or WA REN. PENNSYLVANIA.

,IINCH BAR on CAR MovEn.

Application filed January 29. v1924. Serial 110,689,357.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J LIUS C. SULLIVAN. a 'citizen'of the United States,residing at Warren, in the county of lVarren and State of Pennsylvania, have iiwented new and usei ful Improvements in Pinch Bars or Car Movers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pinch bars or car movers for moving railway cars when it is desired to shift them from one location to another, as for example, upon switches and side tracks at railway stations, industrial plants. and other places.

T he primary object of the invention is to generally simplify and strengthen and render more durable a pinch bar or car mover and adapt the same for application with equal facilityand effectiveness to rails of dilferent dimensions and cause a tighter engaged as the force apincreases. A further object of the invention is-to form theforward' or toe portion of the body of the pinch bar and the shoe movably 1 carried by the operating lever for engagement with a wheel rim of precisely the same concave curvature and cause a more effective operation of the said parts relatively to the wheel, and to so mount the shoe that it will be disposed in its applied positionat an angle of about. 45 relatively to the axis of thewheel engaged. A further object of the invention is to assemble the wheel rim engaging shoe and the operating lever in the mounting of the shoe reduced toa minimum. A still further ob:

ject of the invention is to eliminate from, of the improved.

the general construction pinch bar or car mover all small parts and springs or other devices that are liable to become disordered or broken. I

With these and. ot ier ob'ects and advantages inview, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed. i

In the drawin I Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a car wheel and rail, showing the improved pinch bar or car mover in operative position with relation thereto, a portion only of the operating lever being shown;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe improved clamping or body pinch bar or car mover with the operating lever broken away; ,7 Fig. 3 isa rear end elevation of the improved pinch bar or car mover shown applied to a rail in dotted lines, the operating lever being broken away;

Fig- 4 is a detail perspective view of the shoe; and

1 Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the forward end of the operating lever to which the shoe is attached.

The numeral 5 generally designates the member,,wh1ch 18 of suitable dimensions but preferably of cross sectional extent less than the width of the top surface ofthe head or ball of arailroad rail and also of a length sufiicientto renderthe complete device practicable in performing the function for which it has been devised. It 18 proposed der the samefstrong and durable but at the same time light, 0111111111111716 as muchas'possible the amount of metal in the'formation placement of the forward portion of the.

the rail, said arms Sextending downwardly far enough to obstruct lateral member 5 on disengagement of the extension or nose ,6 from the rail, and thereby facilitate disposition of the extension or nose 6 with relation to the rim and flange of a car wheel.

to construct the clamping or body member, 5 of suitable metal and to ren- The depending arms Qfareseparated by a space. of such transverselength as to adapt theextension or nose 6 to be applied over rail heads varying in width without engagement of. the said arms with the opposite side portions of the rail heads. The entire lower edgeof the clampingor body member 5 is straight, and in the rear extremity of the member. a ra lhead clamping die 10 is removably mountedfand comprisesanupwardly projecting flat shank 11 fitting in a trans.-

verse slot 12 and having opposite openings 13 therethrough, to register with similar openings I l in the rear extremity of the member, to receive removable fastening devices orc'otter pins 1'5. of themember 5 is in the form of a T-head The rear extremity I 16, as clearly shown by Figs. 2 and 3, so as to give ample width for mounting the die 10 and provide for practical transverse spanning of a rail head by the said die. As shown by Fig. 3,'the die is formed with a central recess 17 having divergent straight side walls 18, which are shown as formed with biting edges by'the" dotted lines 19, so

as to cause the said die to firmly bite the sideportions of a rail" head in themanner shown by Fig. The recess 17 has a maxi mum width greater thanthe widest rail head known in the art of rail construction, and such recess is also of'a depth suffic'ient to permit the die to fit r'ailheads and serve as a reliableand positively acting rear or heel stop means with relation to rail heads of different widths, and whereby the clamping or body member 5 may be inaintainedin its applied position relatively to-a car wheel rim and flange without liability of backward slipping movement when the power for moving the car wheel is applied in a manner which will be presently explained. The die 10 is rendered removable from the head 16 to permit sharpening of the biting edges 19, or when the die becomes worn to such an ex tent as to interfere with its efficiency, permit replacement of said die by another similar device. The upper part of the clamping or'body'member 5 at a point sli htly in advance'of the rear dieholding head 16 is formed with opposite'fulcruin ears 20, which stand above the'remaining portion of the said member, and in advance of these fulcrum ears the'menibe'r is also formed with an approximately semi-circular recess 21. The clamping or body member 5 is of hollow construction and the recess 21" is formed in the two side units 22 immediately in advance of the fulcrum ears or projections 20. The clamping or body member 5 in advance of the substantially semi-circular recess 21 also projects upwardly as at 23, and provides the advance termination for the said recess, this advanced elevated portion of the member 5 constituting the rear part of the extension or toe 6 having the upper bearing or engaging side, which is given the concave curvature 8 as hereinbefore described. This upper side 24 is formed with openings 25, to

lighten the same and permit any matter that would attend to accumulate on the said side to fall through the openings 25 and maintain this upper side portion of 131161706 or extension always in proper condition for engagement with the rim of a car wheel. This open construction may tion of thesame does not in the least detract from'the strength and durability of this part of the member 5 nor from the efficiency in surface engagement relatively to the rim of a car wheel.

An operating lever 26 is mounted in the clampingor body member 5, and essentially be varied and the forma-' comprises a socket 27- forthe reception of the lower end of a handor lever bar 28, and from the lower end of the socket 27 a shank 29 extends and is slightly enlarged, as at 30, for interposition between the fulcrum ears or projections 20, and therethrough and through the said ears or projections a pivot .pin or bolt l isreniovably inserted. The

flanges 35 provide as a whole a very efiicient means for the assemblage-and movable mounting of a pressure shoe Ethavinglower fulcrum ears or disk members-37, which'are separated by a slot 38, the said-earsor disk inen'ibersSl each having a central opening 89 therethrough', and these two openings are in transverse alinement and are adapted to aline with the opening 33 through the coupling member 32. The shoe 86 is gradually enlarged or flared outwardly fromthe coupling disks 3?, to form a pressure head l0 having an outer concave bearing face or side 4:1, which is in the same are of curvature as the concave bearing face 8 ofthe extension ornose 6, so as to insure a snug fitting of the extensionor'nose and the shoe relatively to the carwheel rim engaged thereby. The coupling disks 37 are applied over opposite sides of the coupling member 32 with the latter loosely projecting upwardly into the slot 38, and the pivotal connection is com PlGtGu bv inserting a pin 42 throughthe coupling disks 3? and coupling member 32. The coupling disks 37 rest within the thrusttakeup flanges 35 and the latter flanges relieve the coupling pin 42 of thrust or thrust wearto a very material extent, and moreover, the said flanges35 assist-in producing a forceful engagement of the concave hearing face or side 4.1 of the head 4-0 of the shoe 36 with the car wheel rim. The recess 21 gives a clearance at opposite sides of the intermediate portion of the clamping or body member 5for manipulation of the shoe when found necessary, and the rear upper portion of the extension or toe 6 is longitudinally slotted as zit-d3, to give freedom of action to the shoe, and-at suitable distance below the upper-projection of the 41!) rear portion of the extensionortoe 6 a stop pin 44 is mounted and extends transversely across the slot 43, to prevent the shoe from falling below a certain level and to insure a self positioning or automatic operation of the shoe to bring the concave' face 41 thereof in contact with the wheel rim. 1

It will be seen from the foregoing that the number of loose'parts of the improved pinch bar or car mover are reduced to a minimum,

and that all springs and other frail struc-- tural devices usually found embodied in rim of a car wheel, which maybe one of the rear wheelsof a group 1,2, 3 or more cars,-

with the concave engaging face ,8 of the extension or nose 6 close under the car wheel,

rim, and when the body member 5 is thus positioned, he depending arms 9 will stand 1 downwardly-on the hand or leverbar 28 and on opposite-sides of the .rail head as shown by Fig. 3 and the die 10 will'be in gripping relation to therail head as-also shown by the latter figure. The operator then presses forces the shoe 36 upwardly, to effect an engagement of the concave surface or side 11 with the car wheel rim as shown by Fig. 1, and by the application of a comparatively small amount of power 'onthe operating leveras a whole, the lever will -be'moved and, as found necessary the. entire device may be shifted longitudinally over the rail head until the movement of the car wheels: is sufficient to start self-movementof the carv or cars" As the engaged car, wheel rotates itwill be obvious that the shoe 36 will move upwardly and at certain intervalsythe shoe will be reset or caused to engage the car wheel as shown by Fig. ljand thereby effectively set up a rotation of the car wheel and propulsion of the car as desired.

The die 10 does not have to be adjusted to fit and positivelyengage rail heads of different width, the reliable biting action of this die or heel stop being automatic in view of the shape of the recess 17 and the biting edges 19 of the die are located near the rear side thereof, so as to permit the clamping or body member 5 together-with the parts attached thereto to be more readily moved .for-

ward over the rail during the operation of the improved pinch bar or car mover. The forward extremity of the shank 29 is freely movable downwardly into the opening between the side units 22 to a certain extent during placement of the shoe 36 in contact with the wheel rim, andthe recess renders the pivotal connection for the ShOe relatively to the forward end of the shank 29 of the operating lever readily accessible for applying and disconnecting the shoe. The

sisting of clamping or body .tion of the opposite extremities of thexsaid head beyond the side portions of the mem- P with the remaining parts of'the. or car mover that might be'still" pivot pin 31 engaging the earsor projections andthe' shank 29 is'rendered easily removable by engagement with opposite ends thereof of fastening devices of well known I types as clearly shown by Fig. 1, and con- Theprovision of cotter "pins 45. the T-head 16 at the rear extremity of the member 5 and theprojecber permits the fastening devices or cotter 15 to be readily inserted or withdrawn as may be necessary in theremoval and replacement of the die or heel stop 10.

The improved pinch bar or car mover as hereinbefore described is capable of use in applying ample power to the car wheel to move a car without unnecessary resistance,

and after the clamping or body member 5 has-been placed in proper position,'it will be prevented from slipping rearwa'rdly by the n die or heel stop 10 and always insure engage ment of the concave face 41 of the shoe 36 with the portion of the car wheel rimdesired to obtain the best results. The biting edges 17 of the die 10 are especially effective when engaging rail heads having grease or ice thereon, andby the positive placement and prevention of movement due to engagement of the die 10 with the rail head, the operator is at all times shielded against accident. Moreover, the location ofthe' die or, heel stop in rear of the fulcrum point of the operating lever 26 will cause the shoe 36 I to engage the rim of the car wheel at a properpoin-t, or mainly at an angle of 415, to give the most advantageous leverage and which is further insured by the similarity of curvature of the upper face 8 of theextension of toe 6 and-the shoe 36.

In addition to the functions of the im proved pinch bar or car mover as hereinbefore explained, it may also be practically employed, at times wheels, either on a grade or on a level, wherebyaccidental movement of a car from a desired position is prevented, and in this particular use it is obvious that the rea-r,transv versely extending rail head-engaging means or die will effectively operate to, fix the improved pinchbar or car mover in its applied position. a I

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a car moving device of the class specified, the combination of a body member having a lower straight edge and a for-, ward reduced extension with an upper con-- cave face to engage the rim of a car wheel, the body member having a longitudinal opening extending through the top portion thereof, an operating lever pivotally connected to the upper portion .of the body ing beyond its fulcrum point and movable in for holding or checking the 'seid longitu-dinal i opening; a 2 pressure shoe pivotally connected to the torw'ard end of the lever, the 'atteehing 111821118 for the shoe-relatively to the lever havingia lnini- Y "mizeol lateral extent to permit the shoeto de' press in and move upwardly thronghrthe said longitudinal"opening; the shoe havingi "and t'orwerdly extending reduced --nose with an upper concave wheel-rim-engaging face, 'tl1e=:-body ."meinber havingn" centiel longitudinal 'o-penii'ig continuing through t-l 1etop thereof-,- a lever pivotnlly connected-to the nppperportion of the body meinber and downward angle to dlspos'e'theforwarder-- trennty or i the 'body' member and r the shoe having nn eXtre-mityprojecting beyond its pivotalpoint hichis n'iovable into the -said opening,ge shoe pivotally connected to-the forward endof the lever end-having a con oave-face'to en age-the rini of a car wheel-l andnneans for holding 'the "body member in engegement with a track rail and for disposing the'latter at un -angle of inclina-- tion relatively to: a track wil toobtain a more effective \vedging actionof the reduced extension-endshoe relativelyqto the rim of acar Wheel.

3.In e'car mo-ving device of the classspeoi'fied, a gripping body member formed- With a forward reduce-d extension' to-fitover therim of a car'wheel and havingya lower straight edge, e railengagingdie secured in the rear extremity of the body member anddepending to such an extent as to eltectzur --inclined position of the said member When the device is applied;- anoperating-leverfill-- crumed in the upper "portionof the body member in adv-mice of thee-ear end of 'the latter,*21nd at pressure shoepivotally con ne'oted to the front-end ot a pert of saidlever and: having an upper concave Wheel" rim-engaging face or the same are of curve!- specifiedp a rail-engaging"wgnippin'g bodymember; an opemtin'g "lever" t'ulcrumed' on the upper portionmi 'said rneqnber near the' lezrr end oi"the latter ancl lmivi-ngsga: for ldly pro eetmgaextrennty Lin advance of the fulcrum point 1 -the1-'eot,-- the grip-ping 2 member h saving" *a longitudinal openingsextending tl1rougl1::the top'z -portion"thereof T into 1 WlIlCll the forwardlyyprojeetinga entremity' ofthe-deswnis- :trtael-yimovableya 65 pressure shee-fulcrumed-to theforW-erdly projecting extremity o-ft'helever, the shoe" and the lever f -having:interacting 5 thrust 1 means to relieve the fulcrum device: for: the shoe of: strain; atransversely-e-Xtending* stop device mounted "-in the flipper portion of the body member across the longitudin-ahopen xing of the datter t-o' limit the-downwarcl movement o-f t he -sho'eg andn'reavns connected to the rear end of 1 the "body member for en gagement with a rail lioi hor'niallytilting the said-body lmember at a-forward and inn more effective Wedginge position with relationto the rnn ot a oa-r Wheel- 5.'In a car movingwdevice of "the'-class- 1 specified; the combination -01 a gripping 1 body jniember having. azuroperaitmg =1levermonthly connected thereto, a pressure shoe '35 pivotally attached-to the forwardend-of the opera-ting lever forenga gelnent with e portion ofa' wheel rim; "the rear p artof the-- body member being: laterally extended in thewform *ofn 'T-hea'd' to give the-sanie-e greater"bearing,extent and 'a; transversely extendingvdiei member IIL-"SvaICl TJIBMllL heving it shank removably securedin the rear" extremity of thebody member and provided with a central upwardly convergingurecess openingzthrougln therlower edge thereof to' transversely span and 'engege'orzul" heads" var in 1 in extent 'and iiherebthe 'die meniber automatically 5 adapts itsel "for engage-p ment with rail heads of differentdimensions: In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 1 my handz" JULIUS o; stir-Liters". 

